The year he turned 33, while studying in the U.S., he made the short film Miracle Mile. MyDaily wrote that this short about an adopted Korean man was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. In 2007, his first feature, My Father, opened and was No. 1 at the box office in its first week. In 2008, he wrote the Squid Game script, but no producer would take it on as a film.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 40, his second feature, Silenced, opened and drew 4.66 million admissions. About a month later, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the special act that toughened punishment for sex crimes against children and people with disabilities.
In 2012, Silenced won an audience award at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy. In 2014, Miss Granny opened and drew 8.65 million admissions. In 2016, he began filming The Fortress.
In 2017, The Fortress opened, and he won the screenplay award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards that year. In 2018, the same film won best film in the film category at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
The year he turned 50, Netflix’s Squid Game was released and reached No. 1 in 83 countries, 13 years after he wrote the script. In 2022, he won the directing award for a drama at the 74th Emmy Awards, the first for a non-English-language drama, and at the end of the year he received the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit.
In 2023, he opened the Season 2 set to reporters. In 2024, Squid Game Season 2 was released. In 2025, he ended the series with Season 3 and was chosen as a Proud SNU Alumnus.
In 2026, a Coupang Play series he produced was released, and he is preparing the film KO Club.
Hwang Dong-hyuk (born May 26, 1971) debuted with his first feature, My Father, on Sep 6, 2007, the year he turned 36, and became known for his second feature, Silenced, on Sep 22, 2011, the year he turned 40. In 2021, the year he turned 50, he released Netflix’s Squid Game.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Graduated from Seoul National University’s journalism department and received a master’s degree in film production from the University of Southern California.
Source 01 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Hwang Dong-hyuk · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Newsis (Korean) · 16th Pony Chung Innovation Award · opens in a new tab Birth date and birthplace are from Wikipedia and were not confirmed in news reports. His education was confirmed in news reports.A short made while he was studying in the U.S., about an adopted Korean man and starring Karl Yune. MyDaily wrote that it was invited to the Cannes Film Festival.
Source 03 · MyDaily (Korean) · My Father cinema concert · opens in a new tab The production year follows the article; the release date could not be confirmed. Wikipedia lists a short from the same period as Gijeogui Doro (Miracle Road), 2005, so the title and year differ.The story of an adoptee from the U.S. who comes to Korea to meet his biological father, a man on death row, with Daniel Henney as James Parker and Kim Young-chul as Hwang Nam-chul. It was No. 1 at the box office in its opening week with 328,092 admissions.
Source 04 · MyDaily (Korean) · My Father No. 1 in its opening week · opens in a new tabSource 03 · MyDaily (Korean) · My Father cinema concert · opens in a new tabHe meant to make it as a film, but no producer would take it on because it seemed unfamiliar and hard to follow.
Source 06 · Chosun Biz (Korean) · Squid Game interview · opens in a new tab The year follows the Chosun Biz article. In a 2022 Maeil Business interview he said it took 12 years to bring out Season 1, so the timing differs slightly.Based on a novel by Gong Ji-young, it deals with a sexual abuse case at a school for deaf students in Gwangju. It passed 1 million admissions within a week of release and finished at 4.66 million, and Dong-A Ilbo wrote that it earned him the label of a socially conscious director.
The National Assembly passed an amendment to the special act on sex crime penalties that toughened punishment for sex crimes against children and people with disabilities.
Source 08 · Newsis (Korean) · Silenced and the Dogani Act · opens in a new tabChosen as the film category winner of an award for people who raised Korea’s international profile, at a year-end charity night at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul.
Source 11 · Pentapress (Korean) · Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club year-end charity night · opens in a new tabSilenced won an audience award together with The Front Line. Silenced scored 4.4.
Source 12 · Newsis (Korean) · Udine Far East Film Festival audience award · opens in a new tab The date is the day it was reported in Korea. The date of the award could not be confirmed.The story of a 70-year-old grandmother who returns to the body of a 20-year-old, with Na Moon-hee and Shim Eun-kyung sharing one character. It was also remade in China as 20 Once Again.
Source 13 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Miss Granny release confirmed · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Nocut News (Korean) · Chinese remake of Miss Granny · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Interview with Hwang Dong-hyuk · opens in a new tabBased on a novel by Kim Hoon, with Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Byung-hun, Park Hee-soon, Park Hae-il and Go Soo. Photos of the script reading had been released three days earlier.
Source 15 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · The Fortress script reading · opens in a new tab The date is the day reported as the planned start of filming; the actual start date could not be confirmed.It depicts the 47 days spent at Namhansanseong fortress during the Qing invasion of 1636. The music is by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Source 16 · OhmyNews (Korean) · The Fortress press screening · opens in a new tabWon it for The Fortress at the ceremony at Kyung Hee University’s Grand Peace Palace. He thanked the original author, Kim Hoon.
Source 17 · Newsen (Korean) · 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards, screenplay · opens in a new tabThe Fortress won it at the ceremony at COEX Hall D.
Source 18 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · 54th Baeksang Arts Awards · opens in a new tabA survival game story with a 45.6 billion won prize, it reached No. 1 in all 83 countries where Netflix operates within about two weeks of release. Its budget was 20 billion won.
Source 19 · Newsis (Korean) · Squid Game release date confirmed · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Chosun Biz (Korean) · Squid Game interview · opens in a new tabSquid Game won its first trophy in the Breakthrough Series, Long Format (over 40 minutes) category.
Source 20 · Edaily (Korean) · 31st Gotham Awards · opens in a new tab The date is local time.The prize is 200 million won. The Pony Chung Foundation said Squid Game had been watched by about 140 million people worldwide.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · 16th Pony Chung Innovation Award · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Maeil Business (Korean) · Interview on the Pony Chung Innovation Award · opens in a new tab The date is the day the selection was announced. The ceremony date differs between reports: June 15 in Newsis and the 16th in Maeil Business.At the ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, he won the directing award, the first for a non-English-language drama. Squid Game was nominated in 14 categories including the Creative Arts awards.
Source 21 · Herald Business (Korean) · 74th Primetime Emmy Awards · opens in a new tab The date is local time. Korean reports came out on Sept. 13.Received it together with the actor Lee Jung-jae at the presidential office in Yongsan.
Source 22 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit · opens in a new tabHe met Korean and international reporters at a set in Chungcheong. Kim Ji-yeon of Firstman Studio and art director Chae Kyung-sun also attended.
Source 23 · Financial News (Korean) · Season 2 set revealed · opens in a new tabSeason 2 was nominated before its release. He says the Golden Globes were the first to recognize the effort.
Source 24 · Startoday (Korean) · 82nd Golden Globe nomination · opens in a new tab The nominations were announced on Dec. 9 in local time; the date here is the day his comment was reported. The ceremony was announced for Jan. 5, 2025.He announced the timing in a letter to viewers on Aug. 1 that year. He spoke at the production press conference about two weeks before release.
Source 25 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Season 2 release date · opens in a new tabSource 26 · YTN (Korean) · Season 2 press conference · opens in a new tabIt is the final installment of the series. Netflix confirmed the release date on Jan. 31 and released a launch poster.
Source 27 · MBC Entertainment (Korean) · Season 3 release date confirmed · opens in a new tabReceived it at the 79th anniversary ceremony. He was chosen along with the late Kim Geun-tae, a former health and welfare minister, and the late student activist Park Jong-chul.
Source 28 · Startoday (Korean) · Proud SNU Alumni · opens in a new tab The ceremony date is based on the Oct. 13 article announcing the selection.Directed by Lee Chang-hee, with Firstman Studio involved, the series credits Hwang Dong-hyuk as a producer. On Aug. 12 it became No. 1 in cumulative views among Coupang Play series.
Source 29 · BNT News (Korean) · The Affair Was Just the Beginning release date · opens in a new tabSource 30 · Financial News (Korean) · No. 1 in cumulative views on Coupang Play · opens in a new tabThe title abbreviates Killing Oldmen Club, and the film depicts a generational conflict in a near future where youth can be bought with money. Lee Byung-hun, Oh Jung-se, Park Hae-soo, Cho Yeo-jeong and Kim So-jin star, and filming is set to begin in the first half of 2027.
Source 31 · Sports Hankook (Korean) · Film KO Club · opens in a new tab The production company Firstman Studio called it his first screen return in 10 years. It was co-founded by Kim Ji-yeon and Hwang Dong-hyuk.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1971–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Film & TV · South Korea
May 26, 1971 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1971: the year of the event minus 1971, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.21 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.